Three Danbury teens charged in rash of thefts in Southeast, N.Y.

Updated 9:10 pm, Saturday, July 30, 2011

SOUTHEAST, N.Y. -- Three teenagers from Danbury were arrested on Friday for stealing jewelry, money, global positioning systems, clothing, tools, cell phones, electronic devices, sunglasses, even a pair of rosary beads, from unlocked parked cars on Maplewood Drive, according to a news release from the Putnam County Sheriff's office.

Travis Sabilia, 18, of Barnum Court, and Crystal Anderson, 19, of Main Street, and a third teen, a 17-year-old, were each charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony.

Police said Sabilia and the other teen were arraigned in Kent and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250 bail. Both are now scheduled to appear in Southeast Justice Court on Aug. 2.

Anderson was arrested by Danbury police on unrelated charges and currently being held in jail, according to the sheriff's office. An arrest warrant was lodged with Danbury police by Putnam County Sheriff's officials charging her with six counts of petit larceny and a single count of grand larceny, the sheriff's office stated. She will be arrested on the Putnam County charges at a later date, police said.

The arrests stem from an investigation conducted after sheriff's deputies were alerted to a home on Maplewood Drive on July 24, where a resident reported items stolen from a parked car. The investigating deputy was met at the scene by a trooper from the New York State Police Brewster barracks.

After conducting neighborhood interviews, the three Danbury teens were identified and found with the assistance of the Danbury Police Department. During interviews with police, the teenagers handed the investigators a duffle bag containing a majority of the stolen property, the sheriff's department said.

Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith is asking for help in preventing these types of crimes.

"These criminal acts are very disturbing to us all,'' Smith said in a news release. "Thieves often target unlocked motor vehicles. In nearly every case, the property stolen was removed from unlocked vehicles. By working together, we can help prevent our neighbors from becoming a victim of this type of crime. Please report suspicious activity to law enforcement and remember to keep the door to your home and parked vehicles locked.''

Victims of these thefts have since met with investigators to identify the recovered property, police said. Anyone wishing to view unclaimed items, or who have other information about this crime, are asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 845-225-4300.